June 23, 2008
University of Victoria: New Home for Social Sciences, Mathematics Opens at UVIC
The University of Victoria’s $37.7-million social sciences and mathematics building will officially open today, providing state-of-the-art space for students and researchers under two sustainable green roofs, Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell announced.
“Increasing student spaces, research facilities and access is part of our commitment to being the best-educated jurisdiction on the continent,” Coell said. “By having environmentally sound buildings on B.C.’s campuses, we are taking action on climate change and leading the way in sustainability.”
The building’s two green roofs and several patio gardens help insulate and capture rain and moisture. Other features include using grey water for watering greenery, energy efficient lighting, natural ventilation and recycled materials in its construction. It was built to gold standards under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system.
The building’s 9,090 square metres holds classrooms, offices, lecture theatres, research labs and meeting rooms and can accommodate 1,054 students. It houses four academic units: geography, environmental studies, political science and mathematics. The building is also home to the Water & Climate Impacts Research Centre, which studies such areas as floods and droughts, groundwater systems, river and lake ice, forest hydrology, alpine and reservoir water supplies, and aquatic ecology.
“This building is contributing significantly to easing a long-standing space crunch on campus and provides researchers with facilities that are among the best in the country,” said UVic president David Turpin. “I want to thank the Province of British Columbia for its generous support for this beautiful new building whose construction reflects the same sustainable values as the research being conducted in its laboratories.”
The Province contributed $24.84 million towards the building, which was completed in February. Since 2001, the Province has provided more than $1.5 billion in new funding for capital projects on campuses throughout B.C., and allocated $600 million more for capital projects over the next three years.
Source: Ministry of Advanced Education, British Columbia
June 12, 2008
University of Alberta and Tata Consultancy Services Announce Global Partnership
The University of Alberta's global spotlight shines brighter as it enters into a five-year partnership agreement with Tata Consultancy Services, part of the Tata Group, India's largest private company and one of the world's largest multinational conglomerates. The agreement was signed June 11 at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary.
The partnership agreement has three elements:
* to provide student internship and co-op education placements within Tata Consultancy Services
* to create research collaboration and exchange between the university and TCS researchers
* to expand Canada-India relations
The agreement encourages collaboration between University of Alberta researchers and students and the more than 110,000 employees of Tata Consultancy Services, which has operations in more than 50 countries across the globe. The agreement also further connects the U of A with India, a country with one of the world's fastest growing economies.
University of Alberta President Indira Samarasekera calls this partnership truly exceptional for a Canadian university.
"Tata Consultancy Services is a key part of one of the most significant global business groups, and this commitment allows for countless research and learning opportunities for our students and researchers to work with and learn from TCS's worldwide pool of experts," said Samarasekera.
With this collaboration, the opportunity for international internships and training programs for U of A students will increase as they will now have access to TCS's operations in many business sectors, including engineering services, research and development, and information technology. There will also be prospects for research exchanges between TCS's industry professionals and the U of A's researchers and students.
"A memorandum such as this is an indication of Tata Consultancy Services' commitment not only to the University of Alberta, but also to the academic, social and business infrastructure of Canada as a whole," said Mukesh Gupta, head of the academic interaction program for TCS in Canada. "In particular, some of the joint research efforts already under way in areas such as nanotechnology and high-performance computing, are of special interest to the petroleum industry in Alberta.
"We are proud to partner with the University of Alberta in this way and look forward to a long and prosperous relationship that benefits our two institutions as well as the wider community."
Together, Tata Consultancy Services and University of Alberta will strive to enhance the relations between India and Canada and explore ways of expanding the U of A's India-based courses, including its newly created course on modern India. There will also be potential partnerships and opportunities for Edmonton's thriving and vibrant Indo-Canadian community.
"In India highly adaptable, collaborative partnerships have changed how post-secondary institutions and multinational conglomerates, such as the Tata Group, work together," said Samarasekera. "This partnership brings the University of Alberta, and also the province of Alberta, much closer to becoming a major centre of research excellence."
Source: University of Alberta
June 4, 2008
University of Alberta Receives Largest Gift of Land for Research Ever to a Canadian University
The Bocock family, Bill and Phyllis, John and Jenny and their daughter Rachel, have sold 777 acres to the University of Alberta at a fraction of the appraised value. The land, to be known as the St. Albert Research Station, secures the future of agricultural and environmental research in Alberta for years to come. At the same time, the university announced the creation of a chair in agriculture and the environment in appreciation of the transaction.
"We're very pleased to make this gift to the University of Alberta," said Bill Bocock, speaking on behalf of the family. "This land has provided a wonderful livelihood for our family since our grandfather bought the original half section in 1921. Drought and hail have reduced yields but the farm has always provided. We are losing our prime farmland at an unprecedented rate. As a society, we must give priority to preserving the best agricultural land in our Land-use Framework."
"This marks the beginning of a new century of discovery in agricultural and environmental research at the University of Alberta," said Indira Samarasekera, president of the university. "This gift, and the extraordinary generosity behind it, richly enhances our learning institution as it adds to our ability to teach and brings our research capacity to a new level."
The St. Albert Research Station, located three km north of St. Albert on Highway 2, will host a variety of crop research projects and provide the university with the added ability to grow and expand. Two research crops have been planted this year and more will be planted as activities wind down and are completed by 2011 at the Ellerslie Research Station. It is also expected that some of the animal facilities-currently located at the Edmonton Research Station-will be moved to the St. Albert Research Station, although any move will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will involve consultations with the community.
In recognition of this historic gift, the university is establishing the Bocock Chair in Agriculture and Environment. The chair will study the interactions between agriculture and the environment using interdisciplinary approaches to seek a balance between sustainable food and bio-products production, economic viability and environmental health.
Source: University of Alberta
June 4, 2008
Allan Rock Designated the University of Ottawa’s 29th President and Vice-Chancellor
Allan Rock, PC, QC, LLB will become the 29th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ottawa. His appointment is effective July 15, 2008.
After a comprehensive search process that included consultation with the university community, the Board of Governors has selected Allan Rock, lawyer, former federal cabinet minister and past ambassador to the United Nations as its next President and Vice-Chancellor. He succeeds Gilles Patry who has served as President and Vice-Chancellor since 2001.
“As a University of Ottawa alumnus, I am deeply honoured and privileged to have been selected by the university community to lead this great institution,” said Allan Rock. “Canada’s university has a storied history, solid values and time-honoured traditions. Under Gilles Patry’s leadership, the University of Ottawa has grown significantly in size and in reputation. I look forward to working closely with all members of the University community to continue to move the institution forward in a progressive, innovative and inclusive manner.”
The appointment was announced at a press conference held on campus on June 4, 2008. Marc Jolicœur, Chair of the Board of Governors and Chair of the Selection Committee, explained: “With Allan Rock at the helm, we are confident the University is going to be led by a dynamic, experienced leader who is able to embrace both the current environment of the University of Ottawa and also play a major role in shaping its future direction.”
Born and raised in Ottawa, Allan Rock is a three-time graduate of the University of Ottawa. He attended the old University of Ottawa high school and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts and an LLB. Fluently bilingual, Allan Rock was also a prominent student politician and was elected president of the student federation in 1969.
He brings a wealth of national and international experience to his new position. As Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations from 2004 to 2006, he distinguished himself as a leader in peace and security and as a champion of UN reform. For the ten years prior to his diplomatic appointment, he was a member of Canada's Parliament.
First elected in 1993 following a successful legal career, Allan Rock was immediately appointed as Minister of Justice and Attorney General. He subsequently served as Minister of Health where he spearheaded the creation of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and more than doubled annual health research funding on a national scale.
As the Minister of Industry and Minister of Infrastructure, he introduced Canada’s innovation strategy, was responsible for Canada’s three granting councils and introduced legislation to create the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation to promote applied research in the social sciences and the humanities.
Allan Rock serves on various boards including the United Nations Association of Canada, the Trust Fund for War-Affected Children and Youth in Northern Uganda and Save the Children Canada. He is currently a partner with Sutts Strosberg LLP in Windsor, Ontario.
Source: University of Ottawa, Ontario
June 2, 2008
Athabasca University Researchers Receive NSERC Grants
Three Athabasca University researchers have been awarded grants by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
The awards were announced in Victoria on May 21, 2008 by federal Industry Minister Jim Prentice.
Dr. Ken Munyikwa, Dr. Dragan Gasevic and Dr. Oscar Lin will each receive $75,000 from NSERC to continue their research projects at AU. The grants are awarded over a five-year period.
Dr. Munyikwa, who is an Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences, is studying patterns of environmental change in central and northern Alberta over the last 20,000 years, using a technique called luminescence dating. Ken, who has been with AU since January, 2006, has carried out field work in southern Africa, Europe, East Asia and North America.
Dr. Lin is a Professor at the School of Computing and Information Systems. His research is focused on developing adaptive learning technologies for use in modern distributed learning . Oscar has been with AU since last November.
Dr. Gasevic is an Assistant Professor at the School of Computing and Information Systems. Dragan's research is focused on semantic web-enhanced model-driven software engineering with the goal of providing additional tools for software developers while increasing productivity and efficiency. Dragan has been with AU since January, 2007.
"We're quite excited that the faculty has received these awards from NSERC," said Rebecca Heartt, Manager of Research Services. "They are a recognition of the very important work being done at AU."
Four AU students each received scholarships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Alexandra Carter, Donna Doyle, Laura Dickey and Richard Periera will each receive $17,500 in September to be used towards their studies.
Source: Athabasca University, Alberta
